 MIAMI (October 26, 2016) — Internationally renowned boxing trainer Orlando Cuellar has come full circle, right back to the famed 5th St. Gym in South Beach, where he once visited as a teenager to learn and now trains fighters out of six days a week.
Born in Havana, Cuba, Cuellar’s family resettled in Miami when he was three with Orlando living there through high school. As an amateur boxer, Cuellar vividly remembers watching boxers at 5th St. Gym such as Cassius Clay, Willie Pastrano, Vinnie Curto and Florentino Fernandez, as well as legendary trainers, brothers Angelo and Chris Dundee.
“I watched and learned, picking up as much as much as I could,” Cuellar said. “Now, I find myself working out of the 5th St. Gym for the past six weeks. It’s been an incredible experience. Every day, you never know who is going to walk through the doors there. It’s been one of the best boxing gyms in the world for more than 50 years. From the days dating back to Muhammad Ali, fighters have been attracted to this gym because of its rich history and great sparring, as well as to the area with South Beach’s restaurants, clubs and beach. The warm, humid weather also makes it easier for fighters to lose weight running and training.
“(Owner) Dino Spencer is carrying on the 5th St. Gym’s tradition. Everyday I’m there is exciting for me. Mixed ethnic groups train there and it’s a magnet for talent. There’s sparring three days a week – I call it Spar-a-rama – and everybody’s welcome to challenge themselves. The sparring is better than a lot of TV fights.
 “5th St. Gym trainer Guy Laieta had been trying to convince me to join the team for the last five years. I spoke to Dino on several occasions, expressing my desire to train fighters out of the 5th St. Gym. He said, ‘Let’s do it.’ The success of the 5th St. Gym today has a lot to do with ownership. Dino has a passion for boxing and he is very hospitable, which trickles down to his staff and fighters. Good vibes all of the time!”
Cuellar left for Las Vegas in 1976 and, after he realized that being a boxer wasn’t in his best interest, he started training fighters there in 1981 out of Johnny Garcia’s Gym. A year later, he shifted his base Brooklyn and started training fighters out of another boxing icon, Gleason’s Gym. In 2000, he resettled in Miami.
Best known as world light heavyweight champion the head trainer of Glen Johnson, Cuellar also worked with future champions such as Nicolas Walters, Rances Barthelemy and Erslandy Lara, as well as Luis Franco, Aaron Davis and Juan Carlos Gomez, to name a few of the more notables. Today, he’s the chief second for several top fighters including Antonio Tarver.
Recognized throughout boxing as a superior teacher, Cuellar’s success is mostly attributed to his training of fighters on an individual basis, focusing on their personal needs rather than giving all fighters the same instructions and attention.
“Each fighter needs personal and specific work to complement their God-given talents,” Cuellar explained. “You can’t teach all fighters the same way. I specialize on what I call old school meets new school. Old school was upfront and personal to go 15 rounds, new school is about throwing more punches, more foot movement and fighting from the outside. I teach doffense: defense + offense. Punches aren’t vitamins, none should be taken. Boxing is little more than a battle of reflexes; one fighters versus another, but the real trick is how the fighter uses his reflexes. I teach my fighters how to turn the ring apron into a minefield.”
Boxing has played a huge role in Cuellar’s life. Back in the 5th St. Gym is just another chapter in his unique life.
“I live through my fighters,” Cuellar concluded. “Every victory is my proudest moment. There are no big or little victories, every win is a happy moment because of all the hard work and sacrifices me and my fighter made during training camp.”
Orlando Cuellar is thrilled to have gone back to the future.
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Tag Archives: Orlando Cuellar
“The Knock Out King” goes Korean style Randall Bailey signs with AK Promotions Scheduled to fight Oct. 4 in South Korea
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SHS BOXING MANAGEMENT 
MIAMI / SEOUL (August 24, 2015) – Three-time, two-division world champion Randall “The Knock Out King” Bailey (45-8, 38 KOs) has signed an exclusive promotional contract with South Korean-based AK Promotions, Bailey’s manager Si Stern (SHS Boxing Management) announced today.
“I can’t wait to go there,” Bailey (pictured on left with his head trainer Orlando Cuellar) said. “This is going to do a lot for my career. I spoke to my new promoter and he’s as excited about signing me as I am about signing with him. He told me that getting me another world title is his goal. He knows me, liked what he saw, and he’s all about doing his job as my promoter.Randall Bailey serves notice to any & all Top rated junior middleweights in world
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Marcus Upshaw Still chasing his dream Takes on Lanell Bellows this Sunday in his Las Vegas debut
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MIAMI (June 17, 2015) – Modern-day road warrior Marcus “Arillius” Upshaw (17-13-4, 8 KOs) is still chasing his boxing dream. The next installment of his unusual story is this Sunday against hometown favorite Lanell “KO” Bellows (17-1-1, 7 KOs) at MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
“I’m chasing the dream but, at the same time, the dream is chasing me,” Upshaw said. “My mind is finally right and now I have a great trainer (Orlando Cuellar) who has my back. It just wasn’t my time before but this is it. I’ve fought all over but this is my first time fighting in Las Vegas. It’s about time! I’ve always wanted to fight in Vegas. I’m going to be fighting in front of Floyd Mayweather Jr. and coming away with a victory.”
A native Floridian who was born in Jacksonville and trains in Miami, the 34-year-old Upshaw is 2-1-2 in his last five bouts. In his last 11 fights, Upshaw has fought twice in Mexico, Washington D.C., Minnesota and the Dominican Republic, as well as once in Texas, Canada, and Connecticut. In almost every case he fought either a hometown fighter and/or a boxer handled by the show’s promoter.
During the course of his nine-year professional career, he’s also fought in Mississippi, Illinois, California, Rhode Island, New York, Maryland, South Carolina and North Carolina. Only 11 of his 34 fights have been in Florida, the majority of those during the early part of his career. If draws and split and/or close decision losses in opponents’ backyards are generally considered “wins” in boxing, Upshaw’s record could very well be a much different 25-5.
It’s surprising that his first in Las Vegas will be this Sunday, against an opponent who is promoted by Mayweather Promotions, which is co-promoting the Premier Boxing Champions on CBS card with TBG Promotions, and advised by powerful Al Haymonwhose company, Haymon Boxing, presents the PBC series.
In addition to the aforementioned stacked deck against him, Upshaw is a natural middleweight who, once again, will be fighting a super middleweight. “I don’t care about that stuff as long as the fight makes sense,” Upshaw explained. “Otherwise, I wouldn’t have taken it. I’m a middleweight who has fought a few times at 168 pounds and did well against Aaron Pryor Jr. (controversial 8-round draw), Vladine Biosse (WTKO8) and Durrell Richardson (WDEC6). I will be the toughest opponent Bellows has ever faced. He lost to an 8-9-2 guy and had a draw with an opponent who had a 5-6-1 record. He’s never fought anybody close to the caliber of fighters I’ve been in with. I’m a middleweight and even though he fights in a higher weight class, I’ll be the stronger, better fighter. Pressure, pressure, pressure is the game plan for this fight. I’m not going to let the judges rob me again. This is an awesome opportunity for me, plus, I’m fighting in Las Vegas for the first time!”
Upshaw’s signature win, thus far, was in 2010 when he traveled to Quebec City and upset 21-1-1 local hero Renan St. Juste by way of a 10-round decision, elevating Marcus in world middleweight rankings to IBF #6, WBO #9 and WBC #11.
Upshaw has displayed his potential, talents and guts by going the complete distance in rounds, albeit in losses, with the likes of Mario Antonio Rubio, David Lemieux,Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez, Edwin Rodriguez, Patrick Majewski and Tarvis Simms.
“Marcus has a very deceiving record,” noted Cuellar who will be in Upshaw’s corner for only the second fight. “His record is better than it looks on paper. Check some of the guys he’s been the distance or fought draws with. His opponent is untested but that doesn’t mean he won’t come through. Sometimes fighters are protected by their handlers but step up in fights against better competition. Fighters are sometimes like a box of chocolates, you don’t know what you’re going to get until you open it and take a bite.
“Marcus is like a cat up against the wall. His opponent doesn’t know what he’s really capable of doing in the ring. Marcus is ready to flip the script, turn the table on this hometown guy. I told him that this guy is in his way of making good money, so it’s time for him to take control and be the boss. Marcos should win this fight inside the ropes but, because he’s fighting the hometown favorite on his promoter’s show, Marcus needs to take out the judges with a knockout, or very convincing performance so that they can’t take a win away from him.”
Upshaw has always had, standing 6′ 4″, a size advantage to go with his rich athletic bloodlines; his uncle, the late Gene Upshaw, was an NFL Hall of Fame offensive guard for the Oakland Raiders. Now, it’s time for him to go all in and cash out big-time in his first Las Vegas fight, registering a career-defining triumph to set him up for a major showdown in the not too distant future.
INFORMATION:
Twitter @MarcusUpshaw or @MarcusArilliusUpshaw
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Randall Bailey returns June 20 in Atlanta area Moving up to junior middleweight for last hurrah
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Marcus Upshaw Still has a lot of fight left
| MIAMI (March 12, 2015) – During the course of his nine-year pro boxing career, veteran middleweight Marcus “Arillius” Upshaw (17-13-4, 1 NC, 8 KOs) has been called a spoiler, gatekeeper, professional opponent, journeyman and road warrior.
Upshaw has been all of the above, granted, but more than anything he’s been an honest fighter willing to take on anybody, anytime. He’s fought all comers from world champions to top contenders and promising prospects.
All he wants now, though, is a fight against a world-class opponent, hoping a victory could propel him into an often dreamed about world title fight.
If draws, split and/or close decision losses, especially if resulting from fights in an opponent’s backyard, are generally considered “wins” in boxing, Upshaw’s record could be a much different 27-8 today and the 34-year-old Floridian would have been fighting in major fights on major cable networks.
Upshaw’s official record is a direct result of him taking fights as a late replacement, on the road in hostile and biased markets, against protected fighters and sons of famous boxers, occasionally in a higher weight class than his natural 160-pound division.
His most recent fight last week in Dallas ended in typical fashion, as Upshaw fought to an eight-round draw (76-74, 74-76, 75-75) with hometown favorite Anthony Mack(12-1-1), in which Upshaw hurt his opponent several times, winning seven rounds according to his new head trainer, Orlando Cuellar, longtime manager Si Stern, and just about every person in attendance.
“The boxing world is crazy,” Upshaw said. “I’ve now had draws in back-to-back fights (the other against Aaron Pryor Jr.). I won’t let it get to me, though. I guess it says a lot about me that I can go into a fighter’s backyard, after training hard, and come out with a draw in fights that really should have been wins. Now, I know I have to get knockouts to win and that was my intention going into the last fight because I fought a Texas guy in Texas. I wobbled him three different times and won every round but one.”
The height of Upshaw’s career was in 2010 when he traveled to Quebec City and shocked 21-1-1 local hero Renan St. Juste, winning a 10-round decision to elevate Upshaw in world middleweight rankings (IBF #6, WBO #9 and WBC #11). Prior to the St. Juste fight, Upshaw derailed the career of the then 19-1 James McGirt, son of famed world champion/elite trainer James “Buddy” McGirt, with a controversial 10-round majority draw. Two fights later, he stopped 10-0 prospect Ashandi Gibbs (10-0) in the fourth-round for the Florida State middleweight championship.
Upshaw has displayed his vast talents by going the complete distance in rounds, albeit in losses, with the likes of Mario Antonio Rubio, David Lemieux, Gilberto Ramirez Sanchez, Edwin Rodriguez, Patrick Majewski and Tarvis Simms. The latter opponent was another prime example of the injustice Upshaw has faced too many times. Simms was 24-0-1 in 2009 when he fought Upshaw at Mohegan Sun, which is a short drive from his home in nearby Norwalk. Simms won an eight-round split decision (77-74 X 2, 75-76).
Cuellar, best known for guiding the original road warrior,Glen Johnson, to a world title, added, “Marcus has always been in tough, he’s another road warrior, fighting more experienced, protected fighters including some who were super middleweights. He came close to putting this last guy away a few different times. He won seven of eight rounds and the ref even took a point away, without a warning, when Marcus’ poorly fitting mouthpiece fell out. It certainly didn’t happen because he was in trouble.
“We only had five weeks working together. We want Marcus to use his 6′ 3 ½” height to his advantage. He has to fight at a distance, using his reach from the outside. He can control a fight with a double jab, followed by a right, just like he did against Mack. I was impressed by the way he trained in the gym and even more now I’ve been with him in a fight. I think he can give anybody trouble if he fights on the outside. He gets in top shape, fights smart, and now we can plan a strategy in advance because we know each other. He has to knockout opponents to win. I train my fighters to drop and stop, which is what Marcus will be doing.”
Upshaw believes Cuellar is the missing link he’s needed to get back to the top. “I’ve already learned a lot from Orlando,” Upshaw explained, “but most of all I’ve learned that I can do anything in the ring. He doesn’t just tell a fighter to do this or that; Orlando gives a fighter the tools, the armor to go into battle, to be your best. He is like an old-school trainer. The hard part with him is training, not the fight. He’s put life into my career.
“I’ve been in with the best and also learned from those fights. My problem has not being focused the entire fight. I know I’m faster and stronger than my opponent, but I get bored sometimes and stop throwing punches. I don’t know why I do that but it’s been my mindset. Orlando has taught me that I need to stay focused and alert throughout an entire fight.”
With his size and rich athletic bloodlines – his uncle, the late Gene Upshaw, was an NFL Hall of Fame offensive guard for the Oakland Raiders – Upshaw clearly hasn’t reached his full potential, at least not yet.
“I am delighted Marcus is now training with Orlando,” manager Stern remarked. “Marcus is tall, strong and smart in the ring. I have great hope for him in the immediate future.”
INFORMATION:
www.facebook.com/pages/Marcus-
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SHS Boxing Management signs Undefeated Cuban Olympian Heavyweight Robert Alfonso
MIAMI (Feb. 9, 2015) – Former Cuban Olympian Robert Alfonso has signed a managerial contract with Si Stern‘s SHS Boxing Management. The 28-year-old heavyweight prospect, who is undefeated in four professional fights, lives in Miami where he is trained by veteran Orlando Cuellar.
“I’m very happy and proud to be working with Si and Orlando,” Alfonso recently aid between training sessions. “I’m optimistic about my future and plan to take advantage of this great opportunity to achieve my goal of becoming undisputed heavyweight champion of the world. I haven’t had a good manager and trainer to get me going in the right direction until now.”
The 6′ 5″, 235-pound Alfonso is a hidden jewel who is continuing his native country’s proud heavyweight tradition, established by the late Teofilo Stevenson and carried on by Felix Savon. Alfonso’s classic style reminds some of Hall of Fame-bound Riddick Bowe.
A decorated amateur boxer, Alfonso reached the semifinals of the 2004 World Junior Championships, later becoming Cuba’s No. 1 super heavyweight by defeating Michel Lopez Nunez in the 2007 and 2008 Cuban National Boxing Championships.
At the prestigious Pan American Games in Rio, Alfonso captured a gold medal by beating Brazilian Antonio Rogerio Nogueira, 4-0, in the semifinals and Colombian Oscar Rivas, 8-4, in the championship final. Norgueira went on to become a mixed- martial-arts star in the UFC and PRIDE, while Rivas, a Colombian Olympian who now lives in Canada, is a 15-0 (10 KOs) heavyweight in the pro ranks.
Alfonso won a decision over United States Olympic super heavyweight Michael Hunter, Jr., 9-1, to qualify for the 2008 Olympics.
“As most people in boxing know,” Stern commented, “I’ve been involved in the sport for quite a while and have seen a number of good young fighters. It’s rare to sign a management contract with someone like Robert Alfonso. He’s in perfect heavyweight shape his background as an amateur in Cuba is remarkable. Although he’s undefeated as a pro, he needs a first-class trainer like Orlando, who has trained champions like Glen Johnson and Orlando raves about Robert’s future. I truly believe he has all the tools and heart to get to the top of the heavyweight division very quickly. I feel great about his future.”
Alfonso’s professional career has been relatively slow to develop because he is a free agent who didn’t defect to the United States until 2011. He made his pro debut December 7, 2012, winning a four-round decision over Robert Murray in Kissimmee. Alfonso has won all four of his pro fights, including his first six-round bout a year in his last action to previously unbeaten Zakki Scott (4-0) in Maryland.
Cuba-native Cuellar, perhaps best known for training world champions Glen Johnson and Luis DeValle, has also trained fellow countrymen of his and Alfonso’s such as YourkisGamboa, Juan Carlos Gomez and Yan Barthelemy, in addition to his current unbeaten world light heavyweight contender Yunieski Gonzalez. “Robert was a highly decorated Cuban amateur who won gold medals at several tournaments and he was an Olympian,” Cuellar said. “He is a physical specimen at 6′ 5″, 235 pounds. I train my fighters to drop and stop their opponents and we’re working hard so he can do that in his fights. Robert trains hard and is smart. I’m very high on him.”
SHS Management’s boxing clients also include three-time, two-division world champion Randall “KO King” Bailey, heavyweight Sherman “Tank” Williams, middleweight Marcus “Arillius” Upshaw and welterweight Damian “Devo” Frias. |
